are reps necessary?

[stak]

I was just wondering what everyones ideas are on Static Contractions and Partial Reps are, and whether any reasonable size/strength could be built on a program based entirely on them?

Have there been many studies done on them? I know Pete Sisco has done quite a bit of research on the subject as his whole philosophy is based on them.

Thanks...

 

[xahrx]

Your body will essentially adapt to anything. I know a real skinny little guy who I train with on Sundays. He likes doing partials, and does them exclusively. He gets about 300 up and does only the last few inches of the rep range. It's impressive, but that's the limit of his strength. With a full range of motion, he's normal strenghth.

That said, partial reps have their place. For example, if you're doing a military press you don't have to push the bar up to your arm's full extension. About half way through the motion your triceps are bearing most of the weight, so it doesn't really benefit your shoulders.

If you want an interesting approach to partials, check out what I'm doing my next HST cycle. I'm calling Cluster 21. Sounds cool. Really isn't.

A 21 is where you do a 7/7/7 split of reps on an exercise. First you do one half of the motion, then the other, then the full motion for the last 7 reps. So basically I'll be doing another clustered set of HST as I've just done, with interesting and good results I must say, with 21 as the rep count and the 7/7/7 setup for the approach to each exercise. By necessity the weights will be a little lower than normal.

My last HST cycle I did 20X1, 10X2 and 5X4. What's more, I did it in four weeks, shortening every microcycle to one instead of two weeks. Gonna follow up with a little DC training for another 4 weeks or so, then SD, then do the Cluster 21 approach. I basically want to see the results I can get with this time under tension. I'll be doing the 21 straight through for as long as I can, then rest pausing whenever I have to during the heavier weights. I'll still be shortening the first two microcycles, but I'll keep the last two at their regular two week lengths. I seem to grow most and best during the heavier part anyway, and if I keep the first two microcycles their regular two week length I lose strength.

One thing I'm wondering is if there might be a particular order I should do the 21s in. I'm thinking of doing the fuuly stretched portion of the rep for the first seven, then the contracted portion, then the full motion.

I'm only doing this because I know a few people who swear by 21s and have results to show for it, and I'm thinking it's basically because the 21s forced them to load their muscles for a good TUT, which they normally wouldn't have done.

 

[Old and Grey]

Holy moly, X. You're going to do a full cycle of 21's? You better be loading up...and not just with food my friend. That is gonna be a killer.

 

[vicious]

Xarx, that's a very application of clustering you used. How did it work for you? How sore/"tight" did you feel after your sessions?

Quote[/b] ]I was just wondering what everyones ideas are on Static Contractions and Partial Reps are, and whether any reasonable size/strength could be built on a program based entirely on them?

Sisco's theories were actually wrong (very, very wrong in fact), but it did turn out that static contractions (as he and Mentzer highly advocated) and strong-range partials (particularly with pulling movements had very positive effects.

Steve Holman's X-rep training can be viewed as a sort of progression of Sisco's SCT and partial training ideas.

Finally, the weighted "fascia stretches" that John Parillo, then sports flexibility theories in the 90s, then DC brought back into the mainstream is yet another wrinkle into the theory.

Believe it or not, but there's a cogent explanation (or at least a theory) that explains all ROM, stretch, and even metabolic burn are all linked together. If you have a lot of time (and I mean a lot), then read up the first 2 or 3 pages of the Customizing thread.

cheers,
Jules

 

[xahrx]

Quote[/b] (vicious @ May 12 2005,7:35)]Xarx, that's a very application of clustering you used.  How did it work for you?  How sore/"tight" did you feel after your sessions?

If you mean the 21s, I haven't done that yet. (c: The shortened 20 rep cluster cycle worked quite nice. Muscles felt tight and pumped pretty much all the time. I seem to have gained a decent amount of muscle, but my tape measure is missing in action so I can't confirm that.

I agree Old, it's going to be tough, but it's going to be good too. I am going to be loading up, on food and some novel new supplements. I'm basically planning to use Designer Supplement's new NHA stack. It's basically an SHBG binder that has a greater affinity than test for SHBG along side their AI, Rebound XT.

Or, I may use ALRI's Ultra H.O.T. because it seems to be a decent AI and has another claimed property that would make it very useful. Basically it claims to be a selective Androgen Receptor Modulator. ALRI's claims, and they seem to be backed up by some sound science, are that UH can decrease the sensitivity of the hypothalumus' androgen receptors by 90% with only a 10% reduction in the sensitivity of muscle cell androgen receptors. Basically it partially blinds your body to the hormonal imbalance caused by AAS use. This in addition to the SHBG binder should realize some nice testosterone levels. Several people are running this stack over at the AM boards and reporting fairly decent results.